‘Cry-mesters’ No More: UNSW to Ditch Trimesters

In a bid to give its students a better on-campus experience, the University of New South Wales will be getting rid of its controversial trimester system, nicknamed “cry-mesters” by students, and reverting to a traditional academic calendar.

While the trimester system allowed students to complete their degrees faster, according to Vice Chancellor Attila Brungs, feedback from 5000 students said they preferred the traditional calendar instead. The feedback was made up of messages from students saying that they wanted to engage more deeply in subjects and also have more time for part-time jobs, internships, and extracurricular activities.

“It’s not about the money, no, it’s about getting a really good student experience,” Brungs said of the decision, which is set to come into effect in 2028.

The university and its then vice chancellor, Ian Jacobs, came under fire in 2019 for adopting a trimester model, which students derided as a money-making scheme. Protests erupted all over campus, and a social media account called “UNSW Cry-mesters” was created in the hope of reversing the decision.

While at the time, heads at the university said that a trimester system would give students more flexibility and the option of graduating earlier, students argued that it made them more stressed, overworked, and out of sync with other universities.

The academic calendar has a traditional semester structure with two 12-week terms for most undergraduate and postgraduate students, with a corresponding six-term structure to support additional shorter courses. There will also be summer and winter terms for students who wish to graduate faster.

“One of the things that were challenging the trimester was the tight turnaround between each term. It was quite full on,” Brungs said.

“Students wanted more deep learning (…), they wanted more time to do extracurricular activities during their time.”

UNSW “cry-mesters” are overwhelming

The new schedule announcements are in alignment with the university’s strategy, which has a defined purpose of progress for all students, and ensuring their degrees set their students up for success in an increasingly technology-based world where artificial intelligence can now perform routine tasks.

“How do I make sure my undergraduates are AI-proofed? The bulk of the undergraduate students and bulk of the postgraduates, what they really want, particularly in today’s world, is longer, deeper learning time,” Brungs said.
Grace Spiteri, 20, told the Sydney Morning Herald that she would prefer going back to a semester schedule because currently there is only a two-week break between trimesters.

“You don’t get much of a breathing period before you have to go back to another class,” she said.

“I would prefer we go back because a lot of my high school friends and other friends are at UTS and they have the full term, our breaks never line up.”

Sofia Miranda, 19, told the Herald that she didn’t mind the trimesters, but the current workload could get overwhelming.

“The workload tends to be really big, especially the amount of reading we have to do,” she said.